As NCIS: New Orleans draws closer to the end of its freshman season, the book is closed on arguably the most obnoxious villain of the season as Baitfish took a bullet to the forehead from an unknown assassin.

For all Baitfish's posturing, cruelty, and wanton violence, NCIS: New Orleans Season 1 Episode 22 revealed him as being just as small as he ever was. He murdered Savannah, an innocent woman whose only "crime" was dating LaSalle, and for what? For Pride's "respect."

Well, Baitfish got Pride's attention, that's for sure. But in an ironic twist, Baitfish was killed as nothing more than what he had ever been: a criminal informant and a twisted, pathetic wretch of a human being. He died trying to spill the beans on a much bigger operation running through the ports. Turns out, Pride was right all along:

You're small time, Baitfish. Always have been, always will be.

Pride

• Permalink: You're small time, Baitfish. Always have been, always will be.

I found in interesting that Baitfish was so obsessed with getting Pride's respect. Loretta warned Pride about getting obsessed with Baitfish, but it turned out that Baitfish really already had his own obsession with Pride.

Pride, after all, has pretty much everything Baitfish lacks, particularly the respect of his peers. It's like a funhouse mirror of sorts.

And then there was LaSalle. Loretta pretty much summed it up with this NCIS: New Orleans quote:

Last few weeks, that poor boy has drawn every bad card in the deck.

Loretta

• Permalink: Last few weeks, that poor boy has drawn every bad card in the deck.

They've really put that guy through the ringer, haven't they? I enjoyed the scene in which Dylan Walsh's Captain Messier gently commiserated with LaSalle, sharing the story of his partner's experience.

I don't think that any of us actually expected LaSalle to actually go through with executing Baitfish, but Lucas Black did a good job expressing LaSalle's anguish over yet another blow suffered, and such a profound blow it was.

He, of course, blamed himself for Savannah's death, wishing he had arrived only five minutes sooner.

[heartbroken, in disbelief] I stopped to get wine!

LaSalle

• Permalink: I stopped to get wine!

This reminded me of a very, very similar situation some of you may recall from CSI: NY, involving Detective Flack... who actually did shoot the guy who was helpless on the ground. And Flack was never the same afterwards. (Pay attention his wardrobe choices in episodes before and after for a very visual demonstration of this!)

Fortunately, Pride and Brody were there to save LaSalle's soul. And an unknown assassin saved everyone the agony of Baitfish gloating by putting a bullet in his head. Well, that was certainly convenient for the Drama, and to keep too much information from getting out before the big finale.

So, now we're left with ominous and awfully cliche words of warning about a coming storm. As soon as Baitfish started going on about how contraband wasn't what it was all about, I knew 100% that he was about to bite the big one. They certainly broadcast that one, didn't they?

And Sasha Broussard didn't seem any less smug while locked up in jail. I'd sweep her cell for contraband phones ASAP, boys and girls, just to be safe.

Here's a lingering question for you to ponder: who ordered the hit on Baitfish? It had to be someone who could find out the route that the transport van was taking with Baitfish, and they definitely don't post that sort of stuff on Facebook. It couldn't have been Sasha, as she didn't know they had Baitfish until Pride showed up to drag her sorry posterior to jail.

Therefore, my money's on Councilman Hamilton, lord of smarminess and king of corruption in New Orleans politics.

Overall, this was an exciting and entertaining episode, despite its utter transparency.

A few loose thoughts in closing:

• How long would that U.S. Attorney keep her job after it got out (and you know it would) that she made such a deal for only five years in jail (followed by Witness Protection, no less!) for an unrepentant cop killer like Paul Jenks?
• I would love it if Dylan Walsh returns next season for more with Captain Messier. I'm a fan of his performance as NYPD Detective Al Burns on Unforgettable (also known as The Show That Won't Die), and he's just as good here as Messier.
• Why did Baitfish wait for everyone to duck after Pride realized it was a trap, instead of spraying the room with his Magic Bullets as soon as Pride walked in? Here's a thought: he didn't actually want to kill Pride. He wanted Pride's respect and acknowledgement, which Pride can't give if he's dead.
• Nice trick Sonja Percy pulled with the GPS chip. It was awfully lucky that the thing was compatible with Baitfish's phone.
• Blended metal bullets are actually a real thing, interestingly enough, though I couldn't find enough information about them to figure out if they behaved anything like the way they're described in this episode.

Now's the time to get ready for the season finale, NCIS: New Orleans Season 1 Episode 23, "My City," which is scheduled to air on Tuesday, May 12, at 9/8c on CBS. Until then, you can relive the action of previous episodes when you watch NCIS: New Orleans online right here at TV Fanatic!

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